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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689677">The Act of True Love</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumducky/pseuds/quantumducky'>quantumducky</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sanders Sides (Web Series)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Aromantic Character, Communication, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Internalized Acephobia, M/M, Queerplatonic Relationships</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 08:15:43</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>7,866</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24689677</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/quantumducky/pseuds/quantumducky</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Roman has been waiting his whole life to meet his soulmate. When the time finally comes, it... doesn't quite match up with his expectations. Why can't things ever be as simple in real life as they look in the movies?</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders &amp; Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>12</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>77</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>The Act of True Love</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>shoutout to dani notveryglittery for beta reading!</p>
<p>CW: many internalized aphobic thoughts, aro character doing things he isn't comfortable with because he thinks he should</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>For as long as he could remember, Roman had been waiting for </span>
  <em>
    <span>the one.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>His soulmate. His true love, as he’d never grown out of saying after growing up on a steady diet of Disney movies. The person who would stop the timer that had been counting up on his wrist since he was born- the one he was destined to spend his life with. Wasn’t it so romantic? As he was growing up, while his peers had crushes and dates and dealt with the drama of first relationships, Roman had drifted along outside it all with his head in the clouds, daydreaming about the day he would meet his soulmate. Why would he be interested in anyone else when he knew </span>
  <em>
    <span>they</span>
  </em>
  <span> were waiting for him somewhere- whoever they might be?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He didn’t meet his soulmate as a teenager, though. He didn’t really expect to. He’d read up enough to know that most soulmates who met at a young age were people who intended to live in the same town they grew up in for the rest of their lives, and Roman had very different plans. As soon as he finished high school, he went away to the best acting school his family could afford for him; and as soon as he was finished there, he followed opportunity wherever it led. Right now, he had to admit, it didn’t seem to be leading him anywhere in particular, but didn’t everyone’s career have its ups and downs? So he wasn’t too bothered by the fact that, at twenty-five, he hadn’t met his soulmate and was currently working a retail job a few blocks away from the nearest theater instead of actually performing in it. Fate worked in strange ways, after all, and he was sure something good would come up for him soon enough.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And one day, in the middle of his Sunday afternoon grocery shopping, he bumped into Patton.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Or rather, in a very literal sense, Patton bumped into </span>
  <em>
    <span>him.</span>
  </em>
  <span> With a shopping cart. At top speed. One second, Roman was examining fancy cheeses, trying to convince himself that </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> time if he bought one he would actually eat more than a single little slice of it, and the next he was nearly knocked to the ground.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, shoot, I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>so sorry,</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you okay?!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The man he saw when he turned around was soft in every possible sense of the word- from the fluffy sweater tied around his shoulders, to the rounded edges of his body, to the sheepish look on his face as he admitted he’d lost control of his cart while racing it down the aisles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know I shouldn’t do that- I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> sorry, I promise I didn’t mean to run into you, I just didn’t see you there…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman hurried to reassure him- it was obvious to anyone he had no ill intentions. “Nothing to worry about- no harm done, see? I’m not going to be bested by a mere shopping cart!” He threw his arms out to demonstrate how unhurt he was, hoping the dramatic silliness would make it clear he wasn’t upset- and froze. His timer was in plain sight on his arm, and it wasn’t going up.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” the other man breathed. He quickly looked and held up his own arm, showing that his timer had stopped as well. “Oh my goodness, are we-!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“We’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>soulmates,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman exclaimed, then realized he was practically shouting and tried to lower his voice. He’d practiced a brief little speech for this moment, if he could just stop freaking out long enough to remember how it went. It didn’t help that part of his brainpower was currently busy fighting the urge to sweep the man up in his arms and spin him in a circle, which wasn’t usually recommended with people you’d just met even if they </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> your soulmate(!!!).</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, </span>
  <em>
    <span>gosh,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I- I don’t even know what to say now! I mean, I guess I should start with my name? Okay, uh- hi, my name is Patton, I’m- </span>
  <em>
    <span>wow,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m your soulmate!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He held his hand out a little awkwardly, and Roman shook it. It went on a little longer than was generally considered normal, both of them trying to get out some nervous energy. “Right, yes- it is </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful</span>
  </em>
  <span> to meet you, Patton, my name is Roman.” He cleared his throat and pulled himself together. It was like acting, right? He was nervous- </span>
  <em>
    <span>incredibly</span>
  </em>
  <span> nervous- but that didn’t have to stop him from getting through his lines. “I just want to say- I’ve been waiting my whole life to meet you, and now that I have, I’m going to try my hardest to be as good to you as I’m certain you deserve. I promise, I’ll do whatever I can to- to make you just as happy as I already know you’re going to make me.” His voice broke a little at the end there, but there were tears in Patton’s eyes and a deep blush on his face, so he surely wasn’t judging.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s the sweetest thing anyone’s ever said to me,” he managed, and then held his arms out hopefully and waited for Roman’s approval before rushing forward to half-crush him in a hug.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was amazing; Patton was exactly as soft and squishy as he looked, and Roman could have stood there hugging him all day. They </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> still in the middle of the cheese aisle, though, so they eventually pulled themselves apart and wiped their eyes, smiling at each other as the few onlookers around </span>
  <em>
    <span>aww</span>
  </em>
  <span>’ed at the adorable new couple of soulmates.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton laughed, self-conscious and a little watery. “I guess we should finish our shopping.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes,” Roman agreed reluctantly. “But first: may I have your phone number?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! Right! Silly me, I almost forgot!” They traded phones and entered their contact information for each other. Roman took the best selfie he could manage in grocery store lighting to go with his, while Patton added a series of cute emojis after his name.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>“Now</span>
  </em>
  <span> we can finish shopping… although, now that I think of it, I already have everything I need.” He didn’t have everything he </span>
  <em>
    <span>came</span>
  </em>
  <span> for, strictly speaking, but he wasn’t missing anything he couldn’t live without until next week. “If you’re as reluctant to part ways as I am… I could accompany you while you finish yours?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton grinned. “I would love that.” He glanced around at their surroundings and then raised his eyebrows at Roman. “Not that I don’t love it, but this is all pretty… </span>
  <em>
    <span>cheesy,</span>
  </em>
  <span> isn’t it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was a terrible joke, but the </span>
  <em>
    <span>timing</span>
  </em>
  <span> of it was so funny that Roman couldn’t help but burst out laughing anyway. “I cannot… </span>
  <em>
    <span>believe…</span>
  </em>
  <span> you just said that,” he said between helpless giggles.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, you are my soulmate! I figured, if anyone would appreciate my dad jokes, it would have to be you, right?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right,” he conceded, and calmed himself down gradually. Patton looked entirely too proud of himself. “Okay, yes. Groceries. What’s next on your list?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton, as it turned out, didn’t have more than a couple of things left to get either. Despite all their combined efforts to drag it out, they only bought themselves a little more time to talk while walking around the store, and there </span>
  <em>
    <span>were</span>
  </em>
  <span> other things they needed to do today. Roman was almost too busy squealing internally to even process any of the conversation. All he knew was that he suffered happily through a higher concentration of terrible puns than he’d ever heard before in his life, and that Patton was incredibly easy to talk to. Despite both of them being so excited they could hardly think, they slipped into the rhythm of small talk as if they’d known each other forever rather than only twenty minutes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>When they reached the checkout, Roman distracted Patton just long enough to sneakily add a bouquet of flowers to his purchases, then presented it to him on the other side. “Something </span>
  <em>
    <span>almost</span>
  </em>
  <span> as bright and cheerful as you,” he proclaimed.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton gasped. “Aww, thank you! I wish I had thought to give you something!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No need,” Roman assured him smoothly. “Making you smile is enough of a gift for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He blushed again, and hid slightly behind the flowers. “Well- you still can’t stop me from bringing you something next time I see you! Soon, hopefully?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course- I’ll text you my schedule for the week as soon as I get home!” He waved goodbye- a little awkwardly, laden down with shopping bags as he was- and they went their separate ways.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman drove back to his apartment in something of a daze. It was a miracle he didn’t have anyone angrily honking at him, really. He couldn’t stop glancing down at his timer, now settled into the shape it would remain for the rest of his life: displaying the exact date and time he and Patton had met. He had </span>
  <em>
    <span>met</span>
  </em>
  <span> his </span>
  <em>
    <span>soulmate.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Which was slightly terrifying, in a “now don’t screw it up” kind of way, but he decided to avoid thinking about that part until he wasn’t actively operating a vehicle.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It hadn’t gone like any of his daydreams. The situation had been utterly mundane- no lush gardens or dramatic sunsets in the background- and he couldn’t convince himself he’d felt anything that could be described as </span>
  <em>
    <span>sparks.</span>
  </em>
  <span> No, if he felt anything resembling the infamous </span>
  <em>
    <span>love at first sight,</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was more like a ball of comfortable warmth, one that had settled in his chest and stayed. It wasn’t anywhere near as dramatic as the movies always made it out to be, but then, very few things were, right?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waved at the neighbors he passed on his way in with the same arm that had his timer, just to make sure there was no mistaking what he was so happy about, and grinned in response to the congratulations they offered. As he fished his apartment key out of his pocket to unlock the door, he couldn’t seem to </span>
  <em>
    <span>stop</span>
  </em>
  <span> grinning. He forced himself to be patient and put his groceries away in the small kitchen before getting out his phone to text Patton.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Three notifications already! Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>had</span>
  </em>
  <span> said he lived within walking distance of the store, and apparently he hadn’t even been able to wait until he was home to text him. Roman flopped onto his bed with a happy sigh and opened his messages: ‘</span>
  <em>
    <span>Hi! This is Patton, but I guess you already know that!’</span>
  </em>
  <span> followed by another series of smiling emojis, followed by a slightly blurry picture of a dog he saw while walking back to his own house.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman didn’t let himself overthink it too much before responding that he was finally home (curse his inability to use his phone while driving, or he’d have answered already), and the dog was indeed adorable (although not quite as much so as Patton himself, of course). The conversation came as naturally now as it had in person, both of them finding a surprising amount to say about all the cute dogs they’d seen in their lives. Roman almost couldn’t bring himself to change the subject, but they still needed to discuss their schedules.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Also,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> he added, </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘how do you feel about Italian food? There’s a restaurant I’ve been meaning to try.’</span>
  </em>
  <span> In fact, he’d been saving it for a special occasion, but it was probably best to be casual about it. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘I’ll pay, since it’s my idea.’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton answered quickly. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Oh! That sounds great! Are you sure you don’t mind?’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman assured him that he did not, in fact, mind buying him dinner, especially given that he had been the one to suggest it without being asked, and they determined that both of them were free Tuesday evening.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The thing about Tuesday evening, he realized immediately, was that it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>very close.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman tried not to feel too nervous. After all, it wasn’t as if he had never gone out to a restaurant with someone before… it was just that the ‘someone’ had never been his soulmate, whom he had only recently met and very badly wanted to impress. It was a lot more pressure than having dinner with a friend. It would be fine, though. He just needed to be calm about it, and everything would go fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘See you then,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Patton sent him when they had decided on the time; </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘it’s a date!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was not fine.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>‘Yep,’</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman typed back, struggling to remember how he usually texted when he was excited rather than feeling ill. </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Can’t wait! I need to get ready for bed now, goodnight!’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He waited for Patton to respond, then turned his phone off and put it as far away from him as was possible without throwing it out the window.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman had never been on a date before. Had never wanted to, before Patton. Was starting to wonder why anyone </span>
  <em>
    <span>else</span>
  </em>
  <span> had ever wanted to before meeting </span>
  <em>
    <span>their</span>
  </em>
  <span> soulmate, if this was the level of pressure it brought on. A small but insistent part of his mind whispered that he didn’t even want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>now-</span>
  </em>
  <span> that he almost wished Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> his soulmate. Then, they could just be friends, and Roman wouldn’t be curled up on his bed right now feeling like he was about to be sick. He shut that train of thought down immediately. He was </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to become one of those people who refused to have a relationship with their soulmate, and made everyone involved miserable because they were afraid to open up. Disappointing Patton was the last thing he wanted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>After all, Patton was </span>
  <em>
    <span>wonderful,</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman loved him already- why would he ever want him as just a friend, when he could have him as his soulmate? That was the sort of thing you heard from a certain type of uptight romantic lead in a rom-com, the ones that insist they only want to be friends with their soulmate until, ninety minutes of delicious mutual pining later, they’re forced to admit they’re in love and let down their emotional walls for a happy ending.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>And Roman wasn’t that kind of person. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> wasn’t the version that existed just as often in real life, who never did change their mind and held their soulmate at arm’s length forever, treating them as no more than just another friend. Of course he was in love with Patton, or as much as one could be after such a brief interaction. He would get used to the idea of dating him, and it would stop feeling so unbearably strange and nerve-wracking, and they would be happy together, just like Roman had been waiting for all this time. He only needed some time to adjust.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When he woke early the next morning to see his phone lighting up with a ridiculous amount of heart emojis and well-wishes for the day ahead, he was relieved to find he had been right: all he felt was warm and happy and fond, and he responded in kind, promising that if anything threatened the goodness of Patton’s day, he’d be sure to vanquish the evil for him. Patton was amazing, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>his soulmate,</span>
  </em>
  <span> and Roman couldn’t wait to see him again. He had only needed to sleep on it, to let his feelings settle and stop confusing an overload of excitement for panic.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He made it all the way to Tuesday, just a few hours before the time they’d agreed on to meet, before he realized he wasn’t so completely over those feelings after all.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>know,</span>
  </em>
  <span> on some level, that he had been pushing down the occasional spike of fear whenever he thought too hard about the very thing he was looking forward to. As long as he didn’t let himself think of it as anything other than </span>
  <em>
    <span>meeting Patton for dinner,</span>
  </em>
  <span> all was well- but the second he admitted to himself that he was, in fact, </span>
  <em>
    <span>going on a date with his soulmate,</span>
  </em>
  <span> his stomach started twisting itself into knots all over again. Now that he was so close to the event in question, standing in front of his closet trying to decide what to wear, there was no ignoring everything he’d been repressing for the past two days. He was terrified.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It felt like preparing for an audition, almost, except if he had never done any before and no one would tell him what he was supposed to be prepared </span>
  <em>
    <span>for.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Which was a ridiculous way to think of it. Surely, Patton would like him no matter what; he didn’t need to put on some kind of act for his benefit. Still, he couldn’t stop feeling like he was in danger of screwing it up. He couldn’t figure out what to wear, and he sort of wanted to cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Oh, for- this was just </span>
  <em>
    <span>silly.</span>
  </em>
  <span> And not in the fun sense of the word. It didn’t matter what he wore, because Patton had met him in pretty much the least impressive circumstances ever and still liked him immediately, and besides, Roman looked great no matter what. Two entire reasons there was no need to agonize over it so much. An alarm sounded on his phone, and he realized he’d spent so long worrying that it was almost time to leave. He shut down that train of thought, put on the same thing he would for any other special occasion and went to comb his hair.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman arrived at the restaurant before Patton. He was thankful he’d been thinking ahead just enough on Monday to make a reservation on short notice, because the place was crowded enough that he doubted they would have been able to get in otherwise without waiting an hour. It was probably just Roman’s existing anxiety making him overly self-conscious, but he was sure everyone he walked past on his way in could see exactly how nervous he was and knew exactly why.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He made his way to the table, then went into the restroom to check that his hair was still looking nice, then forced himself to sit down and not get up again. People would </span>
  <em>
    <span>definitely</span>
  </em>
  <span> notice if he kept pacing back and forth. As it was, he was struggling not to bounce his leg so hard in impatience that it audibly rattled the table, and he couldn’t stop checking his phone for the time. The server who brought him a glass of water gave him a sympathetic look. At least he was wearing a jacket, so she wouldn’t see his arm and know </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> what the situation was.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton arrived seven minutes late. Which really wasn’t very much, but Roman had been there five minutes </span>
  <em>
    <span>early</span>
  </em>
  <span> just to be safe, so it was just enough of a wait to be excruciating as he failed to shake off the sensation that he was standing out to everyone.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Sorry I’m late- I hope you weren’t waiting too long!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman shook off as much of the built-up nervousness as he could and stood up to give Patton a hug. </span>
  <em>
    <span>See?</span>
  </em>
  <span> he told himself. </span>
  <em>
    <span>There was nothing to worry about.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Only a few minutes,” he assured him, which wasn’t untrue.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That’s good. I just got a little sidetracked while getting ready- but look! I brought something for you!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He set down the large bag on his shoulder- which had a cartoon pineapple on it and the words, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“If you were a fruit, you’d be a fine-apple!”</span>
  </em>
  <span>- and produced a slightly disheveled bundle of daisies wrapped in tissue paper.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I told you I’d give you something when I saw you again! They’re just from my garden, and I’m not sure I did a very good job wrapping them up… but they’re still pretty! Like you,” he added with a wink, obviously calling back to what Roman had said to him the other day.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman froze up a little. He hadn’t been expecting this. And it was nice and sweet and he appreciated it, but all he could seem to think was that this wasn’t part of his mental script for the evening; he didn’t know how he should react.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Thank you,” he managed to say, and took the flowers. “I- they’re lovely.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton beamed at him and took his seat, so apparently he hadn’t been </span>
  <em>
    <span>too</span>
  </em>
  <span> noticeably awkward. Should Roman have pulled his chair out for him? That was the polite thing, wasn’t it? He really hoped he wasn’t already messing things up, but he didn’t have time to dwell on it. He sat down as well, holding the flowers in his lap because it seemed safer than setting them down on the floor.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“So, you have a garden? That sounds nice.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was, and Patton was happy to talk about it. The subject bought some time for Roman to pull himself together while Patton showed him pictures and talked about what he wanted to plant next year- and, of course, he was also genuinely interested in listening. The conversation went on from there, once he remembered how to participate in it… only to stop dead when the server returned to take their orders and seemed determined to embarrass them both to death.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, aren’t you two just adorable! Let me guess, new soulmates on a first date?” Right, Patton’s timer was visible. Roman resisted the urge to groan and both of them nodded awkwardly. “I’m glad you showed up when you did,” she told Patton, “he looked about ready to vibrate himself out of his chair if you made him wait any longer! Oh, I’m sorry, I’m rambling on again- now, what can I get you both?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman shot Patton an apologetic look. At least they had already decided what to order, so this interaction didn’t have to drag out even longer. “We’d like a large plate of spaghetti and meatballs to share, please,” he said, and collected himself enough to smile at her.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>She nodded and wrote it down. “Good choice. Sticking to the classics. Maybe you can pull off that scene from </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lady and the Tramp,</span>
  </em>
  <span> eh?” She winked at them unsubtly and, thankfully, walked away.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton dropped his head into his hands and sighed as soon as she was out of sight, which made Roman feel considerably better about his desire to hide under the table. “That was… something.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It certainly was,” Roman agreed weakly. He couldn’t shake loose the thought that, now she’d been so loud about it, everyone nearby knew the two of them were soulmates on their first date. A lot of the people around them were other couples, almost certainly soulmates themselves- would they be paying attention to them now? Would they notice if Roman clearly had no idea what he was supposed to </span>
  <em>
    <span>do</span>
  </em>
  <span> on a date?</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Roman?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He shook himself out of </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> minor spiral and looked up at Patton. “I’m sorry, I was just- lost in thought.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Are you feeling okay?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course,” was what Roman instinctively wanted to say, but it came out a little too loud and he could tell it wasn’t entirely believable. “That is to say,” he corrected, “nothing is </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong,</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m just- well, feeling a bit nervous. I… haven’t exactly been on a date before now?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton looked surprised, although he tried to tamp down on it so as not to make him feel even more self-conscious. “Oh! Really? I wouldn’t have guessed, you seem so confident!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman had to chuckle at that. “I certainly don’t feel that way, but thank you. I suppose I just… never felt the need to date anyone else, when I knew you were out there waiting for me.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” Patton repeated, now with considerably more squeakiness in his voice and blushing. “See- that’s so sweet, how are you better at saying romantic things than me when I’m the one who’s dated before?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Comes with being an actor,” he offered. “I’m good at improvising.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right, you mentioned- what’s that like? It sounds like it must be exciting!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman kept his sigh of relief firmly internal when Patton went with the subject change. It wasn’t that he was bothered by Patton having dated before, or at least, he was pretty sure that wasn’t it. As far as </span>
  <em>
    <span>he</span>
  </em>
  <span> could tell, he had no problem with the idea of him going out with other people. Most people did, after all; it was perfectly normal. It was more… the contrast with his own lack of experience, he supposed. The fact that he himself </span>
  <em>
    <span>hadn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> done the usual thing, that was what he didn’t feel entirely comfortable talking about. If he was going to give Patton the details of any aspect of his history right now, he would much rather it be all his favorite musicals, and the roles he’d played in the past.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Still, he tried not to let himself go on for too long. Patton didn’t seem to mind- he’d asked, after all- but Roman was still aware that he wasn’t the only person who could hear him, and he didn’t want to look like he was monopolizing the conversation. So, “That’s enough about me,” he cut himself off after not more than ten minutes. “What about you? Is there anything you’re passionate about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton laughed. “I don’t know about </span>
  <em>
    <span>passionate,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but I do have some hobbies.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Wonderful! Do tell me about them.” He leaned forward and rested his chin in his hands, the picture of attentive listening. Patton was amused, as he’d hoped.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Well, uh- I already told you about my garden. And when it’s winter and I can’t work on that, I also do some knitting…”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman tried hard not to tune out and miss what he was saying. But it was hard, as it turned out, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> listen while putting so much energy into ensuring it </span>
  <em>
    <span>looked</span>
  </em>
  <span> like he was listening. He couldn’t get rid of the quiet fear that the people around them would see how hard he was faking having any idea what he was doing, notice how little he wanted to still be in this situation at all, and realize Patton deserved better. He almost missed it when their food arrived, and stumbled through another awkward interaction with the server absolutely certain she was going to be able to tell he had little to no interest in noodle-based PDA and judge him for it.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> good spaghetti, though. At least there was that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Eating dinner, fortunately, required less conversation than waiting for it, and Roman felt the pressure ease a little. The lamp hanging directly over each table still made him feel like he was trapped under a spotlight and didn’t know his lines, but it was easy enough to find safe things to say to Patton about the food they were both eating when it seemed like something needed to be said. Still, he only grew more tense as time went on, and Patton was sneaking worried looks at him by the time the meal ended. Noticing this did nothing to make Roman feel better. Great, now he wasn’t even successfully </span>
  <em>
    <span>faking</span>
  </em>
  <span> confidence.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He could feel his face heating up at the approving look the server gave him when he explained he was paying for both of them. “He’s a good one,” she said to Patton. Paradoxically, knowing she believed his act after all felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse</span>
  </em>
  <span> than suspecting she didn’t. “You kids have a good night, now. I’ll see you if you come back again!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman really, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> hoped not.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It was only when they left the building that he felt like he could breathe properly again. Patton seemed to know he needed a minute, and kept up a light stream of chatter about how pretty the first colors of the sunset looked while Roman walked with him to his car.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry I wasn’t very… </span>
  <em>
    <span>present,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Roman told him when he felt like he could talk again. “I just…” He trailed off. He couldn’t really </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> he had realized very quickly that he didn’t want to be on this date.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“It was pretty crowded in there, wasn’t it? It was a little overwhelming for me, too.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, exactly.” He latched on to the excuse Patton provided eagerly. “If I’d known how popular this place was, I would have suggested something else.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton nodded. “Don’t worry about it, though! I was thinking we could do something more low-key next time. Are you doing anything this weekend? You could come over on Saturday, and I could cook something. And I could show you my garden in person!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That sounds lovely.” Infinitely better than what they’d done today. Mistakes had been made, and Roman would be doing more research next time he wanted to try a new restaurant. He let out a relieved breath and smiled gratefully at Patton, and didn’t let himself think about what one was supposed to do when going to their soulmate’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>house</span>
  </em>
  <span> for the first time. There would be plenty of time to worry about that later, when Patton wasn’t standing right in front of him.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Speaking of Patton… He had been making eye contact with Roman earlier, but now his gaze had drifted just slightly downward. Roman raised his eyebrows at him. When Patton looked back up, he was slowly turning pink. It wasn’t hard to guess what he was thinking, but Roman made a soft questioning noise anyway, a small part of him hoping he was wrong.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Roman…” Patton bit his lip, then took a breath and said in a rush, “Can I kiss you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman froze.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t have to say yes!” he hurried to add. “If you’re not up for it right now, or- or if you just don’t want to at all, that’s totally fine.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman shook his head. He </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> to want to, which was basically the same thing as actually wanting to, right? And he knew that no matter what Patton said, there was no way he wouldn’t be disappointed if his soulmate actually didn’t want to kiss him at all. “No, I do want to,” he said, and tried for a smile. “You just surprised me. Go on.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton grinned and then leaned in, closing his eyes and cupping one hand around the side of Roman’s face. A soft sigh escaped him as their lips met. He was still faintly smiling.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman was trying to figure out where his hands were supposed to go, and then it was already happening, and all he could register was how strange it felt, and then he </span>
  <em>
    <span>needed it to not be happening.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He pulled away so fast he almost tripped over his feet and hunched his shoulders, avoiding Patton’s eyes.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Roman? Are you- did I do something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry. It’s not you. I thought- I don’t- I have to go.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It wasn’t nearly the explanation Patton deserved, but all he could think about was getting out of there. He kept his head down as he practically ran across the parking lot to his own car, but he still caught a sideways glimpse of Patton’s sad, worried expression watching him leave.</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>Roman wasn’t stupid. He knew what it meant when he couldn’t be kissed or even think too hard about the idea of going on a date without feeling panicky and ill. He just wished there was any alternative to accepting it that didn’t also hurt Patton.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Because he couldn’t be the person he could tell Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>wanted</span>
  </em>
  <span> as his soulmate. Putting them together had to be some malicious joke on the part of the universe. And he knew well enough that “what is wrong with me” was never a productive question to be asking himself, but- </span>
  <em>
    <span>seriously.</span>
  </em>
  <span> He had wanted this for years- ever since he was old enough to understand what soulmates </span>
  <em>
    <span>were-</span>
  </em>
  <span> and suddenly, it turned out that every romantic daydream he’d ever indulged felt more like a nightmare when he tried it in real life.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As soon as he got back to his apartment, he texted Patton that he was safely home and not ready to talk about it, then turned his phone off entirely- which he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> willingly done before in his adult life- and went straight to bed with some nighttime cold medicine. Yes, you weren’t meant to take it just to sleep, but he wasn’t planning to make a habit of it and he </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> needed to not be awake with his thoughts any longer. Maybe when he woke up in the morning, he would find the perfect solution to everything had come to him in his dreams.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It didn’t work like that, of course. He woke up to the same situation, the same nauseating guilt and anxiety, and a message from Patton when he turned his phone back on.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The message read: </span>
  <em>
    <span>‘Okay. I’m glad you’re safe. I won’t push, but I’m here when you want to talk about it. &lt;3’</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman responded with a matching heart emoji, then put his phone back down and pressed his face into his pillow to cry.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <em>
    <span>It wasn’t fair.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That was all he could think. It wasn’t fair to him, and it wasn’t fair to Patton, either. Roman- well, he shied away from using the word </span>
  <em>
    <span>love,</span>
  </em>
  <span> but he </span>
  <em>
    <span>cared</span>
  </em>
  <span> about him, and he wanted him to be happy, and he… he didn’t know how to make that possible.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>There were, he knew, some soulmate pairs who mutually agreed to be friends rather than romantic partners. They got some odd looks from society at large- especially if one or both of them chose to date someone else- but they were happy, regardless, because they both wanted the same thing, and it worked. So no, Roman knew there wasn’t anything inherently </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> with him. There was just… something wrong with the fact that he was Patton’s soulmate, and Patton </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> one of those people who preferred an unconventional relationship, and Roman was incapable of making him happy the way he’d promised when they first met. Somehow, this did not make him feel any better.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He couldn’t do anything about whose soulmate he was. What he could do, and did, was call in sick to work. He would be surprised if he so much as got out of bed any time soon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Going back to sleep sounded nice, but relaxation wasn’t going to happen with the way his thoughts were spinning. When he finally told himself it was time to stop wallowing and get up, it was past noon.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>He knew what he needed to do. However much easier it sounded to just fake the right feelings until they showed up for real, it wasn’t realistic. After all, that was what he’d been attempting for the past several days. No, the right thing would be to tell Patton the truth, explain everything and let him decide what he wanted to do from there. He didn’t have to tell him </span>
  <em>
    <span>right away, </span>
  </em>
  <span>he quickly amended- the thought of talking to him right now threatened to take what little composure he’d gathered up and slam dunk it into a blender- but he needed to tell him before Saturday. It wouldn’t be right to take advantage of his hospitality while keeping secrets and letting him think their relationship was still the same.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The rest of the day and the rest of the week passed in the same way: excruciatingly slow, and at the same time, an incomprehensible blur. It was Friday evening when Roman finally worked up the courage to call Patton. He’d been getting texts from him every day, along the same lines as the first. Checking in to make sure he was doing okay, saying it was fine if he still wasn’t ready to talk, but clearly wishing he would say </span>
  <em>
    <span>something</span>
  </em>
  <span> aside from the claim that he was fine. When Roman called, he answered almost immediately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Hey there,” Patton said softly. He sounded like he was trying not to scare off a skittish animal. “…What’s up?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman sighed. “Hi. First of all, I’m sorry.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“You don’t need to-”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I should have called sooner,” he insisted. “I let you worry about me all week.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton hesitated. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>was</span>
  </em>
  <span> worried. Heck, I’m still worried. But you should take as long as you need to feel comfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman laughed under his breath. This was never going to be a </span>
  <em>
    <span>comfortable</span>
  </em>
  <span> conversation. Just one that needed to happen whether he liked it or not. “Well, uh. I wanted to tell you- that is to say, I think I know what- happened, the other day, and I-” The thing was, he had done some research once he was forced to accept the truth- things he had been vaguely aware existed before, but saw no reason to investigate deeper. Point being, if he ever got past the nervous rambling, he could actually use the proper </span>
  <em>
    <span>words</span>
  </em>
  <span> for this. “I, I think I’m aromantic? Which means I don’t, well, I’m not- </span>
  <em>
    <span>comfortable</span>
  </em>
  <span> having a romantic relationship with you- or anyone, but, ah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>including</span>
  </em>
  <span> you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>A second of silence passed, into which Roman managed to read fifteen different meanings.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he added on, unable to stop himself.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton’s reaction was… intense. Just not in any of the ways Roman had been fearing.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Don’t you dare apologize again,” he said fiercely. “You have nothing to be sorry for, okay? I’m proud of you for telling me, and I’m here for you no matter what.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman made a soft, startled noise and scrambled for words. “You- you want that, though. Dating and everything.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I mean, yeah,” he agreed, sending Roman’s thoughts into even more of a tailspin. “I don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>need</span>
  </em>
  <span> it, though. And I don’t want it as much as I want you to be happy and comfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman’s hands were shaking. He’d thought of answers to every question, responses to every possible misunderstanding or argument, but he was shockingly unprepared for it to go so… </span>
  <em>
    <span>well.</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“That was easier than I expected,” he admitted.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I… might have looked some things up. Trying to figure out why you might have reacted like that, while I was- waiting for you to be ready to talk about it. Roman, honestly, I’m just relieved it wasn’t anything </span>
  <em>
    <span>worse.”</span>
  </em>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh,” he said, and laughed weakly. That </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> explain why it had sounded a bit like he was reading off a script from some ‘how to react to someone coming out to you’ website. “So do you… still want me to come tomorrow?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Of course! I mean- not as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>date,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> he quickly clarified. “Just… you know. You’re my soulmate, and I want to get to know you, and we can have dinner and watch a movie or something and it doesn’t have to be romantic at all. If you still </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to come, I mean.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, of course I do. I’ll be there.”</span>
</p>
<p> </p>
<hr/>
<p> </p>
<p>
  <span>When Roman rings Patton’s doorbell the next day, he is absolutely vibrating with nerves. It took a fair amount of willpower to make himself show up. But Patton opens the door and greets him cheerfully, stepping back to let him inside, and he’s acting so </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> that Roman feels himself start to relax bit by bit. He steps out of his shoes in the doorway and looks around. Patton’s house is cozy: filled with the kind of furniture you sink into, never to be seen again, and just enough clutter to make the place feel well lived-in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Was that your garden I saw on the way in?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Uh-huh!” Patton chirps, beckoning him into the kitchen. “Some of it, at least. There’s more flowers in the back yard. I sure hope you don’t have any pollen allergies!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, no, don’t worry.” Walking into the kitchen, he sees the table set for the two of them, but nothing to answer the question: “What did you end up cooking?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>In response, Patton produces a mixing bowl full of batter from the fridge. “Pancakes! Which I haven’t made yet because I wanted to ask you if you want anything in them. I have chocolate chips and blueberries!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh! I’ll have chocolate chips, then.” He stands next to Patton and watches him pour the batter for the first pancake. “Breakfast for dinner is a surprise. A nice surprise, obviously! I just didn’t expect it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I </span>
  <em>
    <span>thought</span>
  </em>
  <span> you might be surprised.” Patton smiles at the pan. “That’s why I like it. It’s not what you expect to have for dinner, but there’s no real reason it isn’t just as good as the usual stuff.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman nods slowly. “…Patton?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah?” When he doesn’t say anything else, Patton eventually turns and looks up. “What- oh!”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Barely waiting for him to have his hands safely away from the stove, Roman all but throws himself into a hug. Patton is caught off guard, but soon recovers from his surprise to hug him back.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>The pancakes are delicious, even if Patton burns one of them thanks to Roman’s distraction. After eating, they return to the living room to watch a movie. Patton has a few options picked out, but… Roman quickly notices something about his selections.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Did you… specifically look for movies that don’t involve any romantic plotlines?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yup!” Patton looks so pleased with himself, Roman doesn’t have the heart to tell him that he’s pretty sure he would still enjoy a good </span>
  <em>
    <span>fictional</span>
  </em>
  <span> romance, or really, any that doesn’t involve him personally. He picks out </span>
  <em>
    <span>Moana</span>
  </em>
  <span> and settles in.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton sits on the complete opposite end of the couch, with the large bowl of popcorn in between them.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman frowns at him questioningly, but he just smiles and looks like he doesn’t know what the problem is, so Roman drops it and starts the movie. He can’t help bursting into song along with the movie’s soundtrack, like he does </span>
  <em>
    <span>every</span>
  </em>
  <span> time he watches a Disney movie, and Patton applauds at the end of each song. It’s very encouraging.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>It’s kind of strange, though- Roman would have expected Patton to be singing along as well. Not that he’s ever watched a movie with him before, but given his overall personality, he didn’t expect him to be so… quiet. He’s either watching the movie or watching Roman’s impromptu performances, but as soon as Roman looks at </span>
  <em>
    <span>him,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he doesn’t want to make eye contact. It’s honestly starting to make Roman nervous, but maybe he’s overreacting. He’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>been</span>
  </em>
  <span> nervous since he got here, so he’s probably just reading too much into everything because of that.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>At the end of “How Far I’ll Go,” Roman takes a bow and gets down off the coffee table, which he probably shouldn’t have been standing on in the first place- but he doesn’t have shoes on, so it’s fine, right? Patton claps and gives him a little “woo!” and then, as soon as Roman straightens up, glues his attention back on the screen. Roman bites his lip, but… no, it’s still probably nothing. He sits back down and reaches for the popcorn.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>As it happens, Patton has the same thought at the same time. Their hands bump into each other. Patton flinches away like it hurt him, and Roman realizes that was the first time they’ve touched since he got here that he didn’t initiate himself. He grabs the remote and pauses the movie.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Okay, what’s going on with you?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton laughs nervously. “What? I, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“The- </span>
  <em>
    <span>this.”</span>
  </em>
  <span> He gestures to the space between them. “You didn’t want to sit next to me, and you don’t even seem to want to </span>
  <em>
    <span>touch</span>
  </em>
  <span> me, and… I mean, is something wrong? Did I do something?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, Roman… I’m sorry. It’s not you- well, it’s just- I don’t wanna make you uncomfortable.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m not going to be uncomfortable. I’m not- I’m not like </span>
  <em>
    <span>that.”</span>
  </em>
  
</p>
<p>
  <span>“There’s nothing bad about having different boundaries,” Patton tells him seriously.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yes, of course, I know that,” he says, although he’s not sure he really does. “But I’m not, I mean, I don’t. Look, will you just move this and sit next to me, and we can-” </span>
  <em>
    <span>pretend things are normal,</span>
  </em>
  <span> he doesn’t say- “stop making a big deal of it?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton doesn’t quite look at him. “I… don’t know. It’s, uh, a little bit complicated?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Complicated like you don’t want to look at me anymore?” Roman knows he sounds childish, but he doesn’t quite manage to stop himself. He blinks quickly to keep from tearing up- not even a full week into knowing his soulmate, and they’re already having a fight? He can’t get </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> to go right lately.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Complicated like I still want to kiss you,” Patton blurts out, and then slaps his hand over his mouth.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“…Oh.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I’m sorry,” he says in a small voice.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman can’t think of anything to say except, “Well, that’s not going to happen.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“I know. I, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>know,</span>
  </em>
  <span> trust me, that’s not what I- it’s just. I’m still attracted to you, like, </span>
  <em>
    <span>really,</span>
  </em>
  <span> really… and I keep looking at you and thinking- but I </span>
  <em>
    <span>shouldn’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> because you don’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> that, but I can’t exactly just make myself stop thinking about it, so- I’ll get over it. It’s just gonna take a little while to fade, and it’s, you know, easier to ignore, if you’re over </span>
  <em>
    <span>there</span>
  </em>
  <span> and I’m over </span>
  <em>
    <span>here.</span>
  </em>
  <span> That’s all.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Before he can answer, Roman has to fight past a wave of self-loathing at the knowledge that, however much not his fault it might be, Patton still can’t have what he wants because of him. He sighs. “I just wish this weren’t so… difficult. Soulmates- </span>
  <em>
    <span>most</span>
  </em>
  <span> soulmates don’t have to do this much work.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Patton shakes his head. “That’s not true. People </span>
  <em>
    <span>want</span>
  </em>
  <span> to act like it’s true for them, but… all relationships take work, right? It’s not magically any different for soulmates. They’re just people the universe knows can be good for each other. Doesn’t mean they don’t have to work at it.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Right.” He would’ve known that, really, if he’d thought it through. For most of his life, though, it was a lot easier </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> to think about the fact that there was no substantial difference between a soulmate relationship and any other. Easier to believe the movies instead, where a perfect relationship clicked into place the second they met each other. He isn’t exactly in the habit of being logical about it. “I’m… sorry for jumping to conclusions and getting upset with you, Patton.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“No, it’s okay- I should have just talked to you about it in the first place, I’m sorry too.” He stands up and opens his arms. “Hug?”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Roman steps into it gratefully, smushing his face into Patton’s shoulder and taking a deep calming breath. He smells like pancakes. “We’ll figure it out.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Yeah. But… we don’t have to do that right this second, right? Because I kinda just wanna finish the movie instead, if that’s okay with you.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh- yes, of course! Just finishing the movie sounds wonderful.”</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>“Oh, good.” Patton squeezes his shoulder and pulls away, retreating to his own side of the couch while Roman sits back down. He picks up the remote and presses play.</span>
</p>
<p>
  <span>Yes, he decides, they’re going to make this work just fine. Of course it will take time, but there’s no rush. After all, they’ve got an entire life together ahead of them.</span>
</p>
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